FBI: Wisconsin Temple Gunman Died Of Self-Inflicted Wound After Shot By Police

2012-08-09 01:15:03 (156 weeks ago) Posted By: Intellpuke

A white supremacist who killed six people at a Sikh temple in Wisconsin died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head after he was shot by a police officer, the FBI said on Wednesday.

Authorities originally said Wade Michael Page was killed by police, but federal officials now say he took his own life after being injured during an exchange of gunfire with officers.

At a news briefing in Milwaukee, FBI special agent Teresa Carlson said investigators have not yet settled on a motive for the attack at the Sikh Temple of Wisconsin in Oak Creek on Sunday.

Page, an army veteran whose record was marred by drunkenness and a failure to report for duty, walked into the temple just before 10.30am and opened fire with a 9mm pistol. Among those killed were the president of the temple, Satwant Singh Kaleka, who was shot as he tried to hold back Page with a butter knife.

On Tuesday night, Oak Creek residents turned out in their hundreds for a vigil for the victims. Addressing the crowd, the town's police chief, John Edwards, said he was struck by the lack of hatred in the reaction of the Sikh community.

Standing in front a row of people holding signs that spelled "practice peace", Edwards said: "In 28 years of law enforcement, I have seen a lot of hate. I have seen a lot of revenge. I've seen a lot of anger. What I saw, particularly from the Sikh community this week was compassion, concern, support.

"What I didn't see was hate. I did not see revenge. I didn't see any of that. And in law enforcement that's unusual to not see that reaction to something like this. I want you all to understand how unique that is."

At the FBI briefing on Wednesday, Carlson said Page had not come to the attention of federal officials before Sunday's incident. She said investigators were interviewing dozens of people who knew Page, in their attempts to determine a motive for the attack, which the FBI has classed as an act of domestic terrorism.

Page had a record of minor alcohol-related crimes in Texas, Colorado and North Carolina. He was demoted during a stint in the army for getting drunk on duty and going absent without leave before he was discharged in 1998.

After the army, Page drifted between jobs and played in white power bands. Sometimes he performed with a Nazi swastika hanging behind the drummer. His first band, Definite Hate, produced an album called Violent Victory with a cover design of a white fist punching a black man in the face.

The fist is tattooed with the letters HFFH for "Hammerskins Forever, Forever Hammerskins" after a national skinhead organization.

Page stopped showing up for work in July. He visited a gun shop and, after clearing background checks, bought the gun he used in the shooting.

His girlfriend, 31-year-old nursing student Misty Cook, was arrested on a provisional charge of being a felon in possession of a firearm, South Milwaukee police said Tuesday. The FBI said Wednesday her arrest was not linked to Sunday's shooting.

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